Chapter 10
“Lady Ying!”
Chunyu Shuang exclaimed in alarm and instinctively rushed forward. If such a big dog actually bit Ying Jiuque, wouldn’t she be in mortal danger?
Xie Mingchen was also startled and hurried to stop it. But everything happened so fast that before either of them could act further, the large black dog had already lunged at Ying Jiuque, mouth wide open and ferocious.
Ying Jiuque felt the chilling sensation at her neck, but the next moment she heard the pitiful whimpering of the black dog. The weight pressing down on her vanished.
When Chunyu Shuang helped her up, Ying Jiuque was still dizzy. The tall figure who had been secretly following them finally appeared. He had just kicked the ferocious black dog away, and now the dog had flown hard into the wall, whining softly as if it had been terribly wronged.
The next moment, a sharp female voice rang out suddenly.
“What are you doing? Trespassing into a private residence and you think you’re justified? You even hit my dog! Is there no law left?”
By now, with Chunyu Shuang’s help, Ying Jiuque had stood up, but she was still a bit weak and mostly shaken. She didn’t care much about living, but at least it had to be on her own terms. This sudden shock had startled her.
The woman comforting her dog revealed her face—a stunningly beautiful woman with sharp, imposing features, completely different from Yun Niang earlier.
If she were also a concubine of Yu Zhuangyuan, then he really did have taste—seems like he was collecting a “plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum” of women.
“Miss, please think this through. I just wanted to knock on the door! You let your dog attack people without a word—how can that be right? Does anyone who knocks on your door get treated like this? I was lucky not to get bitten. If I had, do you think you could escape legal consequences?”
“Legal consequences?”
The beautiful woman’s brows arched sharply, and she spat violently on the ground.
“If the law really worked, there wouldn’t be so many suffering people with grievances and nowhere to go! I wasn’t raised to be scared. Now, tell me, what do you want?”
Huh?
This lady really had character. If she hadn’t almost been hurt, Ying Jiuque would have admired her bravery.
“You…”
Even Xie Mingchen, normally mild-tempered, was annoyed now. He stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Ying Jiuque and Chunyu Shuang, wary of the dog, which had now recovered.
The tall man who had just kicked the black dog remained silently watching the woman, cold and calm. The beautiful woman had no advantage in his presence.
“Quick! Outsiders are causing trouble in Tonghua Alley! And they’re going to Jin Hua’s house!”
“Damn it! Bullying our girls? Hurry up! Everyone, get out here!”
The noise came faintly from afar. Normally, Tonghua Alley was very quiet, but suddenly it erupted into chaos. Surprisingly, a large crowd surged out from every corner, wielding shovels and hoes, looking fierce and ready to confront.
The tall man silently shielded the three defenseless people, drawing a gleaming long knife from his waist in one swift motion.
In these times, not everyone could carry a weapon. Seeing the shining blade, the previously angry crowd suddenly became much calmer.
After a brief silence, a white-haired elderly man stepped forward. His wrinkles spoke of years lived fully, and he held a smooth, dark polished cane. Though he wore no expensive clothing, his presence demanded quiet respect.
Everyone around clearly treated him with great reverence.
“Young guests, may I ask why you come to this small Tonghua Alley? We are simple folk who follow the law and do no wrong. You all seem well-born; if you need any help, just say so.”
“No, no,” Ying Jiuque waved her hands repeatedly. She couldn’t accept such praise from someone so elderly. In a place with poor medical and living conditions, the fact that this elder was so spirited and healthy was remarkable. She had been taught to respect elders, so she bowed politely.
Looking at the crowd, Ying Jiuque realized she hadn’t expected the residents of Tonghua Alley to be so united. Scanning further, she noticed a familiar-looking figure behind the elder—a gray-haired woman, smiling innocently.
Lin Daniu saw Ying Jiuque looking and stepped out, smiling and thanking her for the candied sunflower seeds she had given earlier.
“Thanks to this young lady, I could afford the ‘Baiwei Xiang’ pastries for my little grandchildren! Many thanks, dear!”
Ying Jiuque was both amused and exasperated. This grandmother was sharp—she had clearly realized Ying Jiuque’s ‘true intentions’ long ago. This scene made it obvious that this grandmother had been the one they came to see.
Alright, at this point, there was no need to pretend further.
Ying Jiuque smiled at the leading elder.
“I suppose you are in charge of Tonghua Alley. To be honest, my companions and I came here to investigate. Today, top scholar Yu Lang died of poisoning. His Majesty ordered us to find out the cause. We heard he had a favored concubine in this alley, so we came to inquire. We intended to get useful information, but caused a misunderstanding. Could you help disperse the neighbors?”
“Honestly, we are just a few powerless youngsters. His Majesty worried we might get hurt while investigating, so he sent several Golden Armor Guards with us. To avoid alarming you, they waited outside. Seeing such a crowd here now… I feared it would worry you all.”
“…”
Not only did the neighbors’ expressions change, but even Ying Jiuque’s companions were subtly surprised. Wasn’t this exactly what His Majesty said when he sent the guards? Ying Jiuque’s words—weren’t they… shameless?
Only the tall man’s gaze was deep. Ying Jiuque could truly read the Emperor’s intentions. Could this explain why His Majesty valued a first-time meeting with her so much?
However, he was certain the Emperor hadn’t said this in front of Ying Jiuque. She could shamelessly claim it in front of so many people—she was clearly a top-tier figure in audacity.
Ying Jiuque didn’t yet know what everyone was thinking. If she did, she would just scoff. What’s the big deal? Bragging shamelessly is the most basic move.
Shameless people are invincible!
